"We are getting reasonably good at controlling foxes in the local areas but cats are a huge problem, partly exacerbated by removing foxes, so once the foxes are taken out, cats do well and basically step into the feet of the foxes," he said.

Research is being conducted Australia-wide to see if bringing back dingoes will help control these pests.

One recent study in South Australia's north recorded a reduction in feral cat and fox numbers with the introduction of dingoes.

Hannah Spronk from Arid Recovery, a conservation group based just outside Roxby Downs, is heading the research.

"All seven of the foxes that we released into that pen there were killed within 17 days by the dingoes," she said.

"They did autopsies I suppose you could say and the deaths were attributed to attacks by dingoes.

"All six of the feral cats that were in the pen died within 20 to 103 days after release."

Dr Menna Jones, from the University of Tasmania, is looking at reintroducing top order predators to rebalance specific ecosystems.

As well as dingoes, she is finding out whether the Tasmanian devil could also control invasive species.

"If we can put a large predator back into the ecosystem where it has become extinct, it can do the job of controlling feral cats or foxes 24 hours a day, seven days a week without the need for an ongoing management program that costs a lot of money and costs a lot of effort," she said.

International expert and wildlife ecologist Professor Roy Dennis says dingoes could be reintroduced in a controlled manner to limit the damage they cause to livestock.

But he says first of all public perception has to change.

"I think it would only work when it was the public themselves that wanted this to happen," he said.